Page 82 of Heart and Soul
“I want you to forget about me.”
“What?”
“No, don’t get all dramatic about it. I’m not saying for good, I’m saying for now, you do what needs to be done, and you don’t stop to think about me, not even for a second. You don’t look for me or wonder where I am. You don’t worry about me, Jay. You put me out of sight, out of mind. It’s just you and them, and that’s all that matters tonight. No hesitation. No holding back. All in.”
He squeezes my hand. “I will, if you will.”
“Right behind you, babe, every step of the way. I promise.”
“Shayne, you need to understand what you’re saying. If I flip that switch, I…if I go down that rabbit hole, you can’t take it personally, the way I’d look at you.”
“You mean, the way youwon’tlook at me?”
“Right. If this thing goes down, I won’t see you. I won’t see anything but red. And even if we end it tonight, I can’t just turn that off again.”
“I know it, babe. Maybe it’s not tonight, and maybe it’s not tomorrow, but youwillcome back to me. All of you, hear me?”
There’s a knock at the window. Time’s up. Jay squeezes my hand. “Shayne, you have to be sure.”
“I’m sure, Jay. Go get ’em.”
His hand begins to tremble with intensity. Adrenaline rushes through his veins. “Fine, but I get a final wish.”
“Hold on; I’m not giving you permission to die, Jay. Let’s be clear about that.”
“A wedding date. Just a day. Any day.”
Another knock at the window, flustering me. “A wedding day? How should I know?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Opening day of baseball season. That’s in two months.”
My heart melts. This has to be the first time somebody else has ever given me an idea that was moremethan anything I would have come up with myself. I pull him in for a kiss, then a firm pat on the face. “Now, go fetch.” He kicks the door open and practically leaps from the car.
“We got a problem,” Hillerman announces.
I see what she means. The blackout is still in effect, but now there is a red glow outlining our concealed weapons, as though we’re in some sort of magical x-ray machine. Four bright-red guns floating in the darkness.
“Shit. Red means bad,” I say.
Russo sighs. “So much for concealed weapons. We’re supposed to go in there unarmed?”
I take the pistol from my clutch bag and drop it into the car. As soon as I do, a faint blue glow outlines my body. “I guess blue means good.”
Jay tosses his gun into the back seat. After the others follow suit, we have to hustle to catch up to Jay’s blue silhouette. He takes large strides along a glowing blue path on the ground.
“Off the leash?” Russo mutters to me.
“For better or worse. You get yours, I’ll get mine.”
Russo drops back to Hillerman’s side while I lengthen my stride to keep close behind Jay. It sounds like we’re in a parking structure—there’s an echo from theclick-clackof the men’s dress shoes. My feet are silent, because under my luxurious, emerald green maxi dress I’m wearing sneakers.
The blue path ends with a large East Side demon sigil that pulses with purple energy. A dark figure with glowing eyes and a mouthful of sharp teeth appears in front of us. “Kindly stand inside the circle.” His glowing teeth are framed by the shape of a wide smile. “If you please, I will now inspect your invitations.”
After we move into the center of the demon sigil, he raises a hand that suddenly ignites with purple energy. The markings on Jay’s back appear, glowing purple—the wordsGRANDE BALLROOMand the symbol of the first quarter moon.
“Ah. So you are the Betrayed,” the demon sorcerer says, licking his lips. “Tell me, how did it feel?”
“It tickled,” Jay says.
